The lithe beauty in the form-fitting, flame-red sweater-jacket, even tighter black slacks and stiletto-heeled shoes with metal buckles planted herself in the lap of a strapping, handsome, lightly bearded fellow and started giving him a come-on in a saucy Cockney accent. Sitting 12 feet away, a second man watched with intense concentration, eyes fixed on the couple, chin cradled in his palm. In certain circumstances, this might be some kind of kinky fantasy. But here in a basement rehearsal room at the Pantages Theatre, it was serious show business.

After walking the red carpet for "Spartacus: War of the Damned" last month in L.A., Lucy Lawless walked into a New Zealand court Thursday to be sentenced for a little illegal activity involving a very big boat. Lawless was sentenced to 120 hours of community service and ordered to pay a fine of $547 to a port company after pleading guilty last June to trespassing on the Noble Discoverer in February 2012. Doesn't sound too bad, all things considered - and indeed, the former "Xena" star sounded pretty positive after court, because she and six other Greenpeace protesters had been facing up to three years in prison (unlikely for a first-time offender)

Jacques-Philippe Piverger, 35, went from a finance career to the head of a company hoping to bring light to the darkest places. The chief executive and co-founder of Mpowerd was at CES this week demonstrating the Luci solar lantern, designed for campers, eco-devotees and people caught in disaster scenarios -- such as a hurricane. About 3.1 billion people live with little or no access to energy, Piverger said. The Luci lamp, manufactured in Asia, is a transparent cylinder that weighs four ounces.

Paul Shoemaker, former chef-owner of Savory in Malibu's Point Dume Village (which closed its doors late last year after a battle with the restaurant's landlord), brings his latest venture Juicy Lucy to downtown L.A.'s Taste at FIGat7th . The new eatery officially opens its doors to the public today in the recently renovated shopping center, which also houses Mendocino Farms, Sprinkles Cupcakes, Flying Pig Cafe, George's Greek Grill, Oleego by Park's Barbecue, Indus by Saffron, the Melt and Loteria Grill.

A federal judge late Monday denied Apple Inc.'s request for a permanent ban on 26 Samsung Electronics Co. smartphones that a jury had found infringed on Apple patents for the iPhone and the iPad. But U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh also rejected Samsung's motion for a new trial based on jury misconduct. The rulings were part of a series of decisions Koh has been making on motions both sides have brought since Apple won a $1-billion jury verdict last summer. PHOTOS: Devices in the Apple Samsung trial Koh noted that the infringing technology amounted to a small portion of the Samsung products' functionality.

SAN JOSE - A federal judge signaled Thursday that she might reduce Apple Inc.'s $1-billion jury award in its patent infringement case with Samsung Electronics Co. U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh did not specify by how much she might shave the award, but during a marathon afternoon hearing in federal court in San Jose she said it did appear that the jury had miscalculated damages. In August, after three days of deliberations in the complex patent case, a jury awarded Apple more than $1 billion.

Using a newly developed editing machine that he dubbed the "three-headed monster," Dann Cahn pioneered multi-camera editing on sitcoms in the 1950s while helping to craft a classic, "I Love Lucy. " "Lucy" broke ground in television by employing three cameras instead of one for filming, a then-novel system that allowed an episode to be filmed as though it were a stage play -- continuously and in sequence. But the abundance of footage overwhelmed editors, who quickly sought out a cutting-edge contraption that was being created for the game show "Truth or Consequences," Cahn later recalled.

September 26, 2012 | By Mary McNamara, Los Angeles Times Television Critic

How many Sherlocks can dance on the head of a pin? At least one more, as it turns out. On paper, Thursday's launch of "Elementary," CBS' update of the world's first and most famous consulting detective, seems absurd. Robert Downey Jr. has given Holmes an ironic, rakish twist and action-figure potential on the big screen, while Benedict Cumberbatch dials him down to icy and vulnerable brilliance on the BBC's "Sherlock. " But David Shore's "House," which started the whole Holmesian renaissance, is notable in its absence this fall, leaving space for a straightforward police procedural accessorized with characters that evoke familiarity while projecting a thoroughly modern, and American look.

The last new episode of "I Love Lucy" was broadcast over 50 years ago, but the classic sitcom is still a cash cow for CBS. Speaking at Goldman Sachs Communacopia Conference in New York on Thursday, CBS Chief Executive Leslie Moonves said "I Love Lucy" is still delivering about $20 million in revenue. Reruns of the show still run on a regular basis on the cable channel TV Land. During much of the interview, Moonves stressed the value of CBS' new and old content, particularly as new platforms such as Netflix and Amazon are spending heavily for product.